Radio 1 DJ Danny Howard from Lancashire on his excitement to play at Glastonbury this year

36-year-old dance music producer and DJ Danny Howard from Blackpool took to X last week to announce he was performing live from the iconic Glastonbury Festive four times this Summer.

Danny, who lived in Lytham before moving to South Shore aged 13, has been the host of Radio 1’s Dance Party since 2012 and on the Thursday and Friday night of Glastonbury he will get to broadcast his show live from Worthy Farm in front of excited festival-goers.

The former Mayfield Primary and Lytham High School pupil will also get a chance to perform a live set alongside a surprise guest on the BBC Introducing stage on the Thursday night, followed by his own two hour DJ set on the Greenpeace Stage on Sunday.

Announcing the news on X, Danny, who actually started his DJ career at the iconic Blackpool nightclub The Syndicate, wrote “GLASTONBURY You absolute beauty, can’t wait to see your gorgeous green face”.

However we wanted to find out more about the Lancashire grown talent so we were able to secure an exclusive chat with Danny about Glastonbury, his Blackpool roots and his future goals, which you can read below...

How are you feeling to be on stage at Glastonbury four times this year?

“To have any kind of involvement in Glastonbury is a dream! I've been doing this on Radio 1 for like 12 years now and I’ve been very fortunate to have played some bucket list shows but I think Glastonbury is very much at the top of the bucket list. So to be doing it is something I'm very excited for, I have no doubt it will be the highlight of my year. When you're growing up, this is the aspirational event that you want to go to as a raver, as a punter, nevermind to play so to be able to do that is surreal.”

How will your radio show be different when you do it live from Glasto compared to a studio?

“You’re sort of bringing the atmosphere and the vibe of Glastonbury through the radio so there's already excitement there. You can hear the live element of it as well so rather than just playing the tunes, we might be taking live sets, and then also the artists that are there, you never know who's going to pass through the studio, it just depends who's around and that's what's great about it. The unpredictability of it makes it even more exciting.”

For your set on the BBC Introducing stage, will that be with an up and coming artist?

“Not necessarily, the BBC Introducing stage will be showcasing new artists the whole weekend, but for three hours on the Thursday, the Radio 1 Dance family will take over the stage and we have a mixture of new artists and established artists. I’ll be going back to back with someone who's not a new artist, who's actually quite a big artist, but it's going to be a surprise on the night!”

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So you can’t tell me who this big artist is?

“I can’t but I can tell you that last year, I was meant to go back to back with my DJ hero, Carl Cox, and it got pulled at the last minute because Glastobury was worried that the tent would be too overwhelmed with people. So I went from being really excited to being devastated but, although it's not him this year because he's not there, it is someone who I also regard as a bit of a hero - not quite Carl Cox level but it's close!”

And what will your set on the Greenpeace Stage be like?

“It’s going to be a fun set. The DJ booth is actually set up in a tree, which is quite famous, and I'm going to be bringing some friends along to DJ some secret sets. Again, I can't tell you who but one of them is one of my radio 1 colleagues, so you can narrow that down, but the other two are going to be complete surprises on the on the day.”

How many times have you performed at Glastonbury before?

“This will be my third time. It was one of those ones that I was never able to get on for various reasons but 2022 was my first Glastonbury experience. I only lasted two hours, I was in and out. I waited 10 years to perform and then one of my best friends, who's also from Blackpool, decided to get married on that weekend, and I was one of his best men, so I had to literally do my performance on the Thursday and then get straight in the car at 4am and get changed in the car back up to Blackpool so I could get there in time for the wedding! But last year, I was there for a full weekend and I will be again this year.”

Is there anyone that you're looking forward to seeing live whilst you're there?

“I'm obviously looking forward to seeing all the dance crew but out of the main lineup - Jamie XX I'm really excited for. I really love his new single as well so I'm excited for his new album and can’t wait to hear that. The legends, I’m looking forward to seeing them, and Disclosure, who’ve got a new live show. I'm also excited for LCD Soundsystem and I've got to say Dua Lipa because she's always amazing- oh and Peggy Gou!”

How is Glastonbury a unique experience compared to other live sets you've done?

“I spent many years being one of those people that eye-rolled whenever someone who'd been to Glastonbury talked about Glastonbury but I think I was just bitter that I'd never been. I was like ‘surely it can't be as good as people talk about’ and then I went. And now I'm one of those annoying people that just bangs on about Glastonbury.

“It's hard to describe unless you’ve been, but I guess it’s the free spirited nature of the festival and the way people are. It's still got that hippie essence that I imagined it was like in the 70s and 80s, where people just go to escape - as cliche as that sounds, it really is the vibe. 

“Also, the one thing I like about it is the discovery side of it. There's so many artists that you sometimes don't even know who's playing  on the stage, but you just enjoy discovering new people and new acts.”

If we go all the way back to the beginning, how did you get into DJing?

“It was actually through my older brother, he was the one that always had the decks in the house so he's one that introduced me to what DJing was. Then I just had friends that did it and I always wanted to but it wasn't until I got to uni at Edge Hill where I started learning how to mix instead of studying. I managed to blag myself a set in the student union, putting on my own nights there, and then eventually putting on my own parties in Blackpool with my friend Alex and it just sort of built from there.”

You also had a residency at The Syndicate, what was that like?

“At the time, there was nothing like it in the UK. It was the biggest club and the biggest DJs in the world would go to Blackpool, which when you say now, it feels like a world away. It would never happen these days but at the time, every single Saturday you had everyone from Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Paul Oakenfold, all DJing in Blackpool and for me as a punter, that was always the goal, to do a set there was my dream.

“And then eventually, I became a resident and to be honest with you, playing at the Syndicate, that was for me, making it as a DJ so to go on and do what I've done is something I've never ever dreamed of but I'm so happy that it’s happening.

“I was 22 when I started at the Syndicate so to think nearly 15 years later, I’d be performing at Glastonbury is crazy.”

Is there anything else you’re looking forward to after Glastonbury or are there any goals you still want to achieve?

“Yeah, there are plenty of goals but I feel like I want to wait until they actually come to fruition before saying them! But I'm just excited for another busy summer. I've got my Ibiza residency every Monday at Amnesia and then every Tuesday, I've got my Mallorca residency at BCM and then there’s Reading and Leeds festivals, I’m really excited for that.”

If you want to keep up to date with Danny’s career, follow him on Instagram or X.